Magnification devices in the form of lenses and mirrors have been utilized to assist people with performing detailed hand work for centuries. By utilizing simple lenses and mirrors, one can increase the precision and speed of the work at hand, for example assembling and inspecting small parts, observing lesions, implanting a tooth or applying skin and hair products. Magnifiers allow magnifications, for example as low as 2× and as high as 20× or more. The most common magnifiers in use today are hand-held lenses and mirrors incorporating a light source. Holding a magnifier by hand for long periods of time can be tedious and can tie up one's hand. Accordingly, magnifiers are often mounted onto some type of stand. The stand can be desktop or wall mounted, or sometimes head-mounted, for example in the form of spectacles or telescopes worn by physicians or watch makers.
More recently, video based magnifiers have proven advantageous. A video based magnifier uses a camera to pick up the image from the work area and displays a magnified portion on a monitor or computer screen in front of the operator. Similar to standard optical magnifiers, video magnifiers are manufactured as hand-held, fixed, or head mounted. By the virtue of the image being picked up in electronic form, the magnified image can be displayed more flexibly, for example on a local display, a computer display or a remote display via a wired or wireless connection. Similar to bi-focal optics used in conventional magnifiers, side-by-side or picture-in-picture (PIP) presentation of images at different magnification levels can be provided to the operator.
A main deficiency of traditional magnifying devices is the repetitive and frequent nature of manual interaction and adjustments needed to maintain a steady view of the work area in the user's field of view. This problem is compounded at higher magnifications with increasingly limited working field of view and increasing image instability and susceptibility to vibration. While hand-held devices allow flexible positioning of the magnifier relative to an object being viewed, they generally require dedicating one hand. Fixing the lens or mirror to a stand frees up one hand, however requires frequent repositioning of either the magnifier or the work piece to maintain focus. Head mounted magnifiers allow easy positioning of the magnification point however at the expense of restricted operator peripheral vision and situational awareness.
Accordingly, there is a need for enhanced magnification devices and associated magnification methods.